Marissa DiSimone
Strong as a Mother: A Woman’s 5 Year Journey Through Infertility with Marissa DiSimone
EPISODE: 11 | DATE: October 8, 2020
Episode Goal: For Marissa to share her story and help any women struggling with infertility to feel heard, as well as to give practical advice on how to handle it from both a practical and an emotional aspect.
I still remember that New Year’s Eve I broke down and cried because there was this piece of, “I can’t do this myself. Someone else has to do this for me.” That was hard to give up that – that womanly thing that I felt like I should be able to do. So we went ahead and started our IVF journey.
MARISSA DISIMONE, Mother & author
Marissa is a mom of two girls, a two-year-old, and another due in October. She just finished writing her first book and has a blog called IVF-WTF.
Key Takeaways
- Going through infertility can be very isolating. If you feel so inclined, seek out help from friends who are going through it too, support groups, etc.
- Age isn’t the only determining factor in infertility. Marissa started trying when she was 27 years old and didn’t get pregnant until 4 ½ years later after a few rounds of IVF.
- Sometimes tests cannot find any reason for infertility. Sometimes it just cannot be explained.
- People are well meaning and well intentioned, but their comments aren’t always helpful when you’re going through the IVF journey (i.e. just relax and you’ll get pregnant!)
- It’s very important to find the right care provider in your fertility journey. It should be someone you feel you connect with, someone that treats you like a person rather than like cattle. It took Marissa three doctors before finally finding one they felt was right for them.
- It’s important to seek counseling or outside help to process the journey, both while you’re going through the process of fertility treatments as well as after the birth of your baby.
- It’s also equally important for the partners who are in a supportive role to seek out help. You as the person going through the treatments cannot manage your own feelings and also hold theirs. Encourage them to seek help too.
- When choosing help, make sure it’s someone who is familiar and/or who specializes in fertility and infertility, or in the case of after having your baby, in postpartum health.
- Marissa actually found great success releasing her postpartum OCD with a life coach that resonated with her. Just keep trying to find someone until it clicks.
- The first year of their daughter’s life was the toughest on Marissa and her husband. The first year postpartum is extremely difficult. Marissa felt angry with herself for not enjoying every moment.
About Marissa DiSimone
Marissa is a mom of two girls, a two-year-old, and another due in October. She just finished writing her first book and has a blog called IVF-WTF. Before children, Marissa worked for lululemon for eight years, and was part of opening and growing their children’s line all across the country. She is a trained yoga instructor, and loves to teach prenatal, and as a former bunhead, is always ready to dance. She loves spending time at the beach with her family and will never say no to a meal!
CONTACT INFO:
Website: https://www.ivf-wtf.com/
Resources in this episode
- The Fertility Clinic where that Marissa works with: Kindbody
- Infertility Support Group: Infertility Unfiltered
- Marissa’s blog about her fertility journey: IVF-WTF
Thank you so much for listening!
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